Life On A Boat – How We Make Squeaky Clean Water

Sometimes we get super sketchy water and sometimes our storage tanks get scary slimy. But, we drink it anyway! After we purify it of course.

Water is our most important resource…we literally can’t survive without it.

The average human should consume 2 liters of water per day. Here in the tropics, we probably sweat at least 4 liters a day, so we consume more! At least 65 liters a week between the two of us.

After nine years of living off the grid, we like to think we have the water situation down pat. Not only can we stretch a gallon of water like a desert rat…we’ve never had to buy bottled water for our traveling home. Which is why we’re sharing the scoop on how we store, filter and purify our water.

Water Storage & Why It’s Sketchy

Every boat, RV, tiny home or whatever form of traveling off the grid home, will be a little different but in general, we all have some sort of storage tank and a method to get it out of the tank. Either by gravity flow, foot pump or electric pump.

We have 2 x 100-gallon (378 liter) tanks and an electric water pump that sends water to all the various parts of our boat (sinks, showers and such).

While our watermaker is our main source of water and the quality is unbeatable, there are instances where we need to source it elsewhere. Because our watermaker is older, we’ve had a couple of parts burn out on us. Then there have been times where we’ve been anchored near or in a river where water quality is so dirty and silty it would have clogged our watermaker filters in no time.

But, no matter where we source our water from, it’s always stored in our potentially sketchy (petri dish in waiting) water tanks. Even if the water going in is super squeaky clean (like from our RO)…water tanks get grubby! Here’s why:

Our tanks are not perfectly sealed and are subject to whatever bacteria/creatures are in the air or can squeeze through any gaps or seals.

It gets hot and bacteria loves warm environments.

Tanks get exposed to air and outside contaminants each time we open them.

Sometimes we fill our tanks with public water (each has it’s own set of bacteria and unknown quality).

Our water tanks are hard to clean and sanitize (most are).

Drinking sketchy water can mean consequences far worse than a dose of Montezuma’s Revenge. Which brings us to the importance of water filtration and purification.

Water Filtration

Carbon (and Brita-type) filters don’t purify water, they filter it. They help with odor, taste and remove chemicals (like chlorine) and hard metals (like lead), and sediment. Which is great! But, any biological creatures such as giardia or e coli pass right through. So, you still have those pesky illness-causing microorganisms to worry about.

Purification is the only way to guarantee safe drinking water but…filters have their place too. Filters help with particles and taste, which is why we use carbon filters for the “whole house” and all the benefits they provide.

Purifying water

There are lots of ways to go about purifying water (new gadgets hitting the outdoor lovers market all the time). But for sanity and time sake, we’ll stick to the basics…and our fave high-tech method aboard curiosity.

Boiling It

Boiling water is always an option. Just bring it to a rolling boil for at least one minute. Simple, effective, no chemicals needed!

Chemically treat it

Iodine is often more effective than chlorine, but iodine-treated water shouldn’t be used for more than a few months at a time. Iodine can be bad for pregnant women and people with thyroid conditions. This is NOT a long-term option.

Chlorine isn’t great either. Lots of off the grid peeps use chlorine to keep the gunk from growing and purify the water (straight up, not scented, check epa.gov for recommendations on dilution). It can do the trick, but…

Chlorine is a contaminant

makes the water smell like chlorine

tastes bad

can cause problems with cooking (kills cultures in bread and yogurt)

can damage watermaker membranes

toxic to fish, other aquatic animals, reptiles, and amphibians

Plus, the EWG.org states, “Drinking water disinfection is essential and saves lives from microbial diseases. But when chlorine and other disinfectants react with plant and animal waste in the water, harmful disinfection byproducts are formed.”

Salty Myth: A cup of rum keeps the tank clean.

I’ve had soooo many sailors tell me a cup of rum keeps the water safe. The ethanol concentrations that you need in order to kill bacteria are scarcely enough for what you get in Rum itself. Dilute it and you have nothing more than rum and rain. Sadly, booze is not a water treatment solution…but trust me, I really, really wanted this one to work out. Rum scented coffee, bread, showers and more sounded lovely!

LED-UV

We’re not talking the old UV lights that were made with mercury, were power hungry and needed replacing every year.

There is a new generation of LED-UV and it’s a massive improvement! As with other LED lights, the LED-UV lights are much more environmentally friendly and last way, way, way longer.

Ultraviolet water purification is the most effective method for disinfecting bacteria from the water (aside from RO). UV rays penetrate harmful pathogens in the water and annihilate illness-causing microorganisms by attacking their DNA. 99.9% of bacteria, viruses and other pathogens…dead!

We’ve had a variety of UV water purifiers over the years. We have a UV light for backpack travel/hiking. In the RV we had a tabletop distiller and UV light. We even had a UV/Carbon setup back in our sedentary days in Dallas (because city water tastes funky and can be sketchy too).

In other words, we’re big fans of UV purification!

Going back circa 2017, we were in Florida outfitting Curiosity for her worldly voyage. We knew we wanted an inline water system that we could install and not have to fuss with. But, we were concerned about any unit surviving the harsh marine environment. That is when we came across Acuva. It is a compact, all stainless steel, marine grade system we could install right at our faucet. We were sold. So, we requested a unit to review…and here we are over a year later, happy, hydrated sailors. You can learn more, see all the specs and our additional filters in our Gear Store.

Free Money!

Acuva has offered up $100.00 OFF any system, just use the Promo Code WYNNS at checkout: acuvatech.com A nice discount for you and a little something for our cruising kitty too!

Show Me The Money – The Most Affordable Option

Remember when we said the average human should consume 2 liters of water per day? Well, that is just the bare minimum. Here in Tahiti, a 5 liter jug is 330 CFP.

2 liters a day per person x 365 days in a year = 730 liters

That means we would need 146 of those 5 liter jugs.

146 5-liter jugs x 330 CFP Franc = 48,180

1 CFP Franc = 0.0095 USD

48,180 CFP = $457.72 USD

$457.72 A Year Per Person x two = $915.44

$915.44 a year just in drinking water! The Acuva Eco and a couple of charcoal filters may seem like a big upfront investment, but it is way cheaper than buying bottled water.

Big Takeaway

Water filtration and purification are incredibly important to any traveler and especially anyone traveling with their home.

We have filled our tanks with all sorts of sketchy water sources that are not advised for drinking. But, because we have our filters and LED-UV for purification…we’re able to turn any water into squeaky clean, high quality H20! Water quality so good, it’s better than bottled water.

We have two thirsty felines on board and have friends, family and patrons who come stay with us. So, having an onboard setup like we do…well, I couldn’t imagine NOT having it!

Whether it’s a system like ours or something similar, it doesn’t take long to see that an at home purification system is the most convenient, safe, affordable, environmentally friendly option.

#PlasticFree

Buying bottled water is a serious environmental issue. We see a disturbing amount of plastic floating past us every day…and we know we’re part of the problem. As I sit here typing this, I can see at least a dozen different plastic items in our saloon. Sure, single use plastic bags, straws and containers are a big culprit, but all plastics are a problem.

Just how much plastic is in our ocean? In 2012 5Gyres gathered a group of scientists to find out. They determined that there were 269,000 metric tons and 5.25 trillion particles—enough to stretch to the moon and back, twice.

We really love the work and education that 5Gyres.org is doing. We love it so much we signed on as 5Gyres Ambassadors! If you want to learn more about the problems our oceans face and what you can do about it, please check them out.

Don’t Listen to People On The Internet!

We always say, do your own research. So don’t just take our word for it (or anyone else’s). We’re always in a state of learning and new information comes out all the time. The more we all fact check and share information, the more informed we all are.

Here are some of the resources we use when learning about water:

Wikipedia (loosely as it is crowd-sourced)

Environmental Working Group (ewg.org)

Environmental Protection Agency (epa.org)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (cdc.gov)

Tag, You’re It

Now you know all about how we get water and how we make it squeaky clean…what tips do you have? What does your set up look like? What questions do you still have? Start a conversation in the comment box below!

Hello there! I honestly don’t know what to say, so I am going to tell you a bunch of random facts instead. I'm a fish eating vegetarian who hates spiders and loves snakes. I almost never took vacations growing up. I wanted to be Pippi Longstocking (still do). I misspell about every other word I write and still struggle with grammar. I love splurging on a good high tea (which is really hard to find these days). And whatever you do, don’t tell me I can’t do something, because then I'll HAVE to do it!

Comments (43)

Eric

I have used UV, RO, and Carbon filters as filtering devices. However, they do not purify or disinfect the water.

For me the two best water purification solutions are a water distiller and water chlorination.

The water distiller is only for drinking water.

The water chlorination is to kill everything in the tanks and pipes. This can be done with a micro liquid dosing system which places a few drops of chlorine every time water flows from the outside into the tanks.

Alternatively, you can estimate how much new water you stored, and take a spoon or cup to pour the correct amount per volume of water.

The distiller uses about 800 watts per hour for about 3.5-hours per gallon of water. This is enough water for two people per day.

In addition, when water is of obviously poor quality, we use Microdyn to disinfect vegetables and fruits. Fifteen minutes is usually enough. Use approximately 1/2 teaspoon per quart of water.

These ideas will kill many but not all bugs. The one thing they actually do is decrease the concentration you could get from them at any one time.

Water is, as you know, one of the top health problems in developing and tropical areas.

Eric, I don’t know where you are getting your information but I highly encourage you to do some more research. Because as you said, it is one of the top health problems in the world. Perhaps start with wikipedia, the Environmental Working Group (ewg.org) or this guide from the EPA: epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-11/documents/2005_11_17_faq_fs_healthseries_filtration.pdf

Reverse Osmosis is a water purification technology and according to the EWG and many sources, the most effective. UV is a form of disinfection and as stated above, our Acuva kills 99.9% of bacteria. Water distillation is great too.

It is important for everyone but especially those of us living on the water to consider the environment. Chlorine is affordable (aka cheap, which is why governments use it) and yes, it does work but that doesn’t mean it is the best option or doesn’t have adverse affects. The EWG states, “Drinking water disinfection is essential and saves lives from microbial diseases. But when chlorine and other disinfectants react with plant and animal waste in the water, harmful disinfection byproducts are formed.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (cdc.gov) states that; “Chlorine and chloramine are toxic to fish, other aquatic animals, reptiles, and amphibians. Unlike humans and other household pets, these types of animals absorb water directly into the blood stream.” Which are just a couple of the many reasons we don’t use or recommend it.

Bernard

Once a year, I add a cup of baking soda in each of my tanks (75 gallons X4). I also add half of a table spoon of chlorine in the tanks, then run the boat for a day or two, empty the tanks and fill them again. If it doesn’t cure everything, it helps the tanks to have a good start in the early season.

Second point : to bring back minerals in purified water, you just have to add 3 drops of sea water for each one gallon jug, and, amazingly, it does the job. Thanks for your great videos !

Michael

A couple huge mistakes. #1. One does not want anything in the drinking water. No minerals or other contaminates or it is not just H2O; it is water with impurities. The more things in the water, the less can be washed out of the bodies cells. If the coffee is missing something, add it to the coffee, not the water. #2. The only 100% way to get clean water is distillation. Period.

Haze

I love your presentation style it is both competent, casual and authentic. Kudos.

My question: What about non-drinking water? Especially in warm climates where your tanks are at the ideal temp for Legionella… you get Legionnaires by inhaling microscopic droplets in the shower. Or possibly as residue on plates etc.

I love the Acuva solution for drinking water. It sounds like a miracle- never/rarely have to clean tanks, never have to chemically treat the water, never worry about where you got the water…

but.. that still seems pretty unsafe if you’re using non-acuva water for showering/washing up, where droplets / residue can easily end up being consumed. It seems it would be ideal to use the acuva water for everything, but as far as I understand it ONLY leads to the acuva tap?

Totally a legit concern. We do clean our tanks once a year as best as we can (high pressure water and cloth wipe down) and/or after adding any water that didn’t come from our RO Watermaker. Then, we have a whole house water filter mentioned above (Whole House Filter: https://amzn.to/2EkZCHH ) that does filter all water used including the shower water.

mary

Heather Stewart

Dear Curious Minion…as much as Mary has relegated you in your “favorite” status … it makes me smile to see you jumping in when J & N are “further off the grid”. 🙂 Thanks for continuing in your “family” contributions…and wishing you the continued best in your evolving journeys. <3 That is all for now. 😉

Curious Minion

Alan Solomon Solomon

Great information Nikki and Jason. This informative video as usual is a great source of information to access when I am considering my next move concerning drinking water. I have to say I am not completely plastic free yet but, very motivated to stop single-use plastic today and I know that starts with me. I like the Acuva unit and your decision to remineralize your water. I think that is important. Super job. Hi Kitties.

Roger B

Joanie

I ama water nut and I live where my well water is. I spoke to my plumber in the fall and told him I wanted to change the system I have this spring. Now I am going to look into Acuva, or get his opinions in general then get specific about it. Right now I have a 3 step system. Whole house. Sink filter from the health food store. Then another pitcher system that I think adds an h202 molecule in its filter cap. Water is really important to health whether you are mobile, off or on grid, and have your own well. We don’t know what the weathermodifcation company is spraying. Especially now that there are so many operations buzzing around. Love your ‘training vid!

Bob Sprengel

What about washing/rinsing dishes, cookware etc.? Are you using unpurified water with that other faucet or shower outlet ? Won’t the rinse water leave residue that may be harmful? What about showering? Water can be ingested if not purified.

Chris

Theresa

Hi Guys! I absolutely love you both and Appreciate all the Lovely, informative and fun to watch videos y’all create! You guys are truly killing it!! Now for my question, what do you guys wash your dishes with? Just curious if you use the same high-quality UV cleaned drinking water to wash dishes with?

GARY YANCON

I thought that the R.O. Water maker does take out all bacteria and viruses? We have one in our home that purifies our well water and the Literature that came with the product specifically said it did. So is it your storage tank that is the problem and you R.O. Is just used as a deslinator?

Curious Minion

Yes that’s essentially it. Because of the size & shape there’s no good way to clean the storage tanks. From time to time they also add water from municipal sources and that should usually be treated with suspicion. Curious Minion

Debbie

Curious Minion

Nikki and Jason are still struggling with connectivity at the moment but hopefully they’ll see this soon. I *think* they just use ice trays in the freezer, so yes, those would be filled from the filtered drinking water tap. Curious Minion

Kevin Petrey

Curious Minion

Nikki and Jason are still struggling with connectivity at the moment so I’ll jump in. See my answer to Donald’s question regarding some of their criteria for choosing Curiosity. They have mentioned before that they wouldn’t want a bigger boat: Curiosity is enough to maintain and keep clean and is still easy for the 2 of them to sail. But she also gives them a fair amount of room to entertain friends and family, which they do fairly often. So I think Curiosity hits the sweet spot size-wise. They’ve also said that they prefer a cat layout to a monohull.

No, they haven’t done a full comparison of RV vs. sail life, but past answers that stick with me are: 1) sailing life is harder because boat maintenance is just never-ending, 2) they still love RVing and will do more of it, but right now they are happy sailors, and 3) the thing they love best about each is the camaraderie and community of amazing like-minded people. Hope that helps. Curious Minion

Katherine Crosbie

I have heard that you shouldn’t filter your water when you fill your tank because you remove the trace amounts of chlorine in it from the public water source. As a result, you are more likely to get bacteria or mold growing in your tank. That said, do you use anything to keep the water in your tank relatively clean/odor free before you filter it for drinking?

Peter H Coffin

Not an issue. Chlorine doesn’t stay in the water in an unsealed system. A municipal water source is a sealed system right up to the tap. Once you put it in a jug, it’s not sealed anymore, and the chlorine starts coming OUT of the water. That’s why you can smell it, right? It climbs out of the water, floats in the air, to your nose. Not all of it comes out, but the more exposure to air it gets, even in the tank, the less chlorine is in the water and the less effective a sterilizer it is.

Which gets us to another complication with chlorine: the most common and easy source for doing your OWN chlorination is chlorine bleach. The problem comes from that once that bottle stops being a sealed system (that is, it’s opened and some of the bleach starts getting replaced by air, there’s a time limit on the bottle now too, as chlorine starts coming out of the bleach. (That little screwtop isn’t a great barrier to prevent it from getting out of the bottle either. Not compared to the glued seal that was there before.) So after a couple of months, the open bottle of 6 or 8% chlorine bleach isn’t 6 or 8% anymore, it’s like 2 to 4%. Which means the amount of product you need to add to a tank when filling to treat it is going to change. Or the amount of time it will take to work is going to change. Or both. Which also means you’re going to need to replace that bottle of bleach on the regular. Bleach is inexpensive, but you’ve probably not used more than a couple of ounces out of the bottle for water treatment, so the inclination is to keep it longer, even though it’s getting more useless by the week. Which means you need to expect to buy at least a half-dozen bottles of bleach per year, throw out or use up a bottle every eight weeks, whether you “need to” or not. Again, not really EXPENSIVE, but counter to most people’s instinct for frugality.

Scott Taylor

You may want to investigate ceramic filters. The system I use on the road consists of one of those carbon/spun wrap sediment filters, then I run water thru a Rio 2000 high capacity ceramic filter. This type of filter WILL eliminate many organisms such as giardia, E. coli, and cryptosporidium. UV systems don’t actually kill organisms – they “sterilize” them, meaning they don’t reproduce after you ingest them, but they are still there! Interesting side note – The National Park Service notes that SteriPens are ineffective against certain organisms in and around Isle Royale National Park, and as such recommend boiling water. So…where else and what other organisms “immune” to UV?

Michael

Jeffery drew

Hi guys enjoy your videos very much like saying you guys out there one quick question you guys heard of hydraulic charging system for boats or chargers your battery why you’re sailing if not you might wanna check that out those days when you don’t have solar you got a charger batteries you can have the water charges this a food for thought up to see is good kind to you your travels are good and the winds at your back have a great day

Curious Minion

Donald Wheat

Question, are you still satisfied the Leopard 43 was the right choice or is there another more satisfactory choice to consider? Would a Leopard 43 PC ever be worth considering? All this for the cruising and living aboard you have enjoyed. We are considering moving onto the water after years in our 34′ HMC Hawkins Motorhome.

Curious Minion

Nikki and Jason are still struggling with connectivity at the moment but have answered this before so I’ll paraphrase. In short, it’s like choosing a motorhome: there’s no right answer because everyone’s needs are different. They chose Curiosity in large part because it was one of the brands they had narrowed their search to (for quality and reliability issues), she was an owner’s version and not a charter version, and she was within their price range because they wanted to own outright. Would they like to have a faster boat? Sure, but they weren’t in their price range. Would they have liked a boat that didn’t require all the service visits and outfitting that Curiosity required in their first 2 years of ownership? Sure, but again, not in their price range. As for a PC, that would be a deal-breaker for the Wynns because they wanted the option of traveling primarily via wind-power because they are trying to reduce their fossil-use footprint as much as possible.

But what’s right for the Wynns may not be right for you. They have recommended to other boat shoppers to try out the boat you’re thinking of if possible. If not, try to find a forum geared toward (in this case) power cat owners and try to pick their brains about what they like and don’t like. I think it’s very much like the process of shopping for an RV – just harder to take them for a test drive. :o) Hope this helps. Curious Minion